Ladling of molten glass



Urs saras NT OFFICE.

LADLING OF IVIOLTEN GLASS.

Specification of Letters Patent I\To. 14,8381, dated May 6, 1856.

To all whom. t may concern:

Be it known that we, VILLIAM P. 1l/VALTER and JACOB GREEN, of the city of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Apparatus for Lading Glass; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Our invention relates to ap-paratus for conveying molten glass from one furnace to another, or from the furnaces to a casting plate or may fill the pots in the furnace with unmolten glass or crude materials for making glass, and consists in suspending to the roof of the building in which said furnaces and casting plate are situated, or otherwise to a frame-work erected in the said building, an iron bar forming a railway for receiving a ianged pulley to the axle of which is suspended a chain or rod; to the end of the latter is attached a ladle, having at one end a conveniently shaped bowl for lading the molten glass from the furnaces, and at the other enda cross handle for the operator. The whole is so arranged and constructed, that a single operative can convey the melted glass from furnace to furnace, or from the latter to the casting plate or may fill the pots in the furnace with unmolten glass or crude materials for making glass, and thus perform duties in accomplishing which three men are usually employed.

In order to enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention I will now proceed to describe its construction and operation.

On reference to the drawing which forms a part of this specication, Figures 1 and 2 are views in elevation of the interior of a plate glass manufactory showing our improved apparatus. Fig. 3 a ground plan of the above.

The same letters of reference allude to similar parts throughout the several views.

A, A, are four uprights secured to the floor of the building, and to the top of these are secured the longitudinal beams B, and cross beams C and C.

D is a furnace in which are deposited the pots containing the glass to be melted. This furnace has several openings, or working holes d Z through which the melted glass is laded.

E is the plate on which the glass is cast and rolled out.

Underneath and near the middle of the cross beam C is jointed the end of the bar or rail Gr which extends over the plate E, toward, and partially over the furnace D. Near the middle of the bar G is secured a bracket II the top of which overlaps the upper edge of the curved bar I, the ends of the latter being secured to the opposite longitudinal beams B, B. The bracket H is secured to the bar or rail G in such a manner that the lianged pulley J (hereafter referred to) may be caused to traverse the whole length of the rail, and past the bracket without obstruction. To the extreme end of the rail G is secured a second bracket K, the top of which overlaps the upper edge of a second curved bar L the ends of the latter being likewise secured to the longitudinal beams B. To the axle of theppulley J, and on one side only of the same, is suspended a link M and to the end of the latter a chain or rod 'N, which is furnished at the bottom with a hook for receiving the shank of the ladle P. The latter is furnished at one end with a suitable basin m, and at the opposite end with a cross handle 29 for the operator, and the shank is furnished with an adjustable collar n for maintaining the hook of the chain N in its proper position.

We would here remark that in the manufacturing of cast glass, the molten material has to be removed from the pots of the melting furnace to those of the refining furnace, as well as to be conveyed from' the furnaces, to the casting tables. These operations are usually performed by a ladle handled by three men one having hold of the end of the shank and the other two situated on each side and supporting the ladle nearer the bowl, by means of a cross bar, the two men holding the opposite ends of the latter. The excessive labor required in accomplishing the desired end will be obvious, and the retarding of the operations occasioned by the chilling of the glass through this tedious delay in lading, will be no less apparent.

By our improved apparatus one man can perform the duty which requires three to accomplish, and in much less time, and with less liability to accidents. The operator directs the opposite end into one of the working holes, d, of the furnace D, dips the bowl, into the pot of molten glass, withdraws the same, containing the quantity required, turns it around, pushes it toward the casting table E, turns the contents of the bowl thereon, and returns for a fresh supply, while the first is being rolled out, and removed from the table. The action of the bar G and pulley J, to which the ladle is suspended, as well as the assistance they render in facilitating, the above operation, will be too apparent to need further description.

The curved bars I and L serve through the hooked brackets H and K to support the rail G as well as to allow the latter to be readily radiated, so that the direction of the pulley J, with its suspended ladle may be directed from any of the openings d of the furnace D to the table E.

In the drawing we have shown our improvements, as adapted for lading glass, and conveying it from the furnace to the table.

It will be readily seen however that the same arrangement is, with a slight modification in the position of the rail G, equally applicable to the lading ofglass from one furnace to another and for filling the melting pots in the furnace with unmolten glass or wit-h the crude materials for making glass. Indeed the positions of the furnaces in respeot to each other, and to the table differ so much, that in some instances it might be necessary to make the rail permanent, curved, or otherwise. We therefore do not wish to confine ourselves, to theeXaot form, or position, of they rail G, but

' What we claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent s- The employment of a suspended ladle for facilitating the ,manufact-ure of glasssubstantially in the mannerherein set forth.

` WM, P. WALTER.

JACOB GREEN. Vitnesses:

HENRY HowsoN, WILLIAM E. WALToN. 

